Neverember
by ReeseJ
Summary: In an attempt to overcome the Earl, the exorcists have turned to demons from another realm. However, not all these demons are willing to fight on the side of God, and the exorcists soon realize that you can't determine what's good or evil by appearance.
1. Preface

**Disclaimer!: I do not own any of the D. Gray Man characters, materials, or story ideas. I take no credit for their material.**

Exorcists, those chosen by God to fight in his holy war. Akuma, the monsters created by the Millennium Earl to fight against the exorcists, the soldiers of God.

The war between these two sides has raged on for years, for longer than any man can remember. Both sides have suffered great losses, and the war has come to a stalemate.

However, both sides have special advantages that could tip the scales in either direction. The Earl has the Noah clan, a group of superhuman descendants of Noah himself. Each of the clan members has a special ability that surpasses anything a normal human, or even an exorcist, could hold. They are a powerful force, and they fight on the side of evil.

The exorcists have their Generals, their most elite soldiers. Recently, these generals have found the means to gain access to a  
force of unknown power. A power that could possibly put an end to this war once and for all, or so they hope.

The one problem lies in what happens once they obtain this force. They have no way of telling whether it will indeed join them, run to the Earl, or worse, turn on them all. The exorcists do not know what this force is, or even how powerful it is.

Regardless, they are willing to risk everything for this slim chance of being able to overcome the Earl and the Noah Clan for good.


	2. Children of the Moon

He knew it was a dumb question before he even asked it but, of course he asked it anyways. "Hey Panda... what do you think about werewolves?"

There was a brief moment of silence before Bookman, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth, answered, "The correct term, brat, would be lycanthrope."

Lavi frowned, "Fine then, gramps, what do you think about lycanthropes?" Bookman thought a minute, "They make for good story-telling, and a great way to scare annoying brats into behaving properly."

Lavi frowned, this response wasn't the one he thought he'd receive, but it also didn't help him much, either. So, he tried again, "well... do you think they exist?"

Bookman stopped walking, "Why the sudden interest?" Lavi shrugged, "Just wondering, is all."

"Lying isn't good, brat," Bookman stated. He had turned around, and was now staring up at Lavi. The boy laughed, "Ahw, don't say that old panda! I'm just curious, really!"

Another moment passed before Bookman turned and began walking again. "There have been a small handful of 'werewolf' sightings over the years. Most occurred in the earlier times, before you or I were born. However, most turned out to be the delusions of crazed and/or intoxicated village idiots."

"Most? So... some were real sightings?" Lavi had skipped ahead and was now walking backwards in front of Bookman, his hands clasped behind his head. Bookman frowned, "No, the other sightings were never confirmed. No evidence could ever be found of any humanoid wolves lurking anywhere in the areas of the sightings."

"So... the possibility of were-err, lycanthropes existing is still possible?" Lavi had stopped walking, which in turn had caused bookman to come to a halt. The old man thought for a moment, "well, there certainly isn't any evidence that proves that they don't exist." After a moment more, he added," However, I highly advise against going off and searching for one." At this Lavi laughed, "Relax old man! That was never my intention to begin with. Like I said before, simply curious!" He turned and began walking again. Bookman 'hmphed' and followed.

The two walked in silence for a while. About a month ago, they had been sent out by the order due to reports of strange occurrences happening in a central European town. People would vanish for a few days, then their bodies would return, completely mummified. The Order believed that the Earl had something to do with this, or possibly even innocence, and so Lavi and Bookman had been sent out to investigate. However, after a week and a half, nobody had gone missing, and no one had turned up dead or mummified. Bookman had contacted the Order, and Komui had instructed them to stay for a few more days before returning to the Order. Lavi was convinced that the villagers were all crazed, and had just made everything up, but he had no say in the matter. Not to mention that he was more interested now that the dreams had started. That's what had raised his earlier questions about werewolves. His dreams had recently been filled with giant wolves. It was actually kind of creepy when he thought about it. Lavi shuddered, he hoped this wasn't some kind of omen or anything like that. How did you become a werewolf, anyways? He knew it didn't involve being bitten... that was vampires. A smile crept onto his features as he thought of Krory, their not-so-vampire friend. Krory only drank the blood of akuma, and his fangs were merely a part of his innocence, but Lavi still thought of him as a vampire.

Bookman stopped, and Lavi pulled himself out of his thoughts. He glanced over his shoulder at his mentor, a questioning look on his face. Bookman only held up a hand to indicate that they should remain silent. After a few moments, Lavi opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but it was then that an ear-splitting scream shattered the silence. The pair took off, sprinting through the trees towards the village. They had gone scouting earlier, so it was a relief when the village gates came into view rather quickly. The relief was short lived, though, as they took in the scene in front of the gates.  
A woman and her small boy sat huddled together off to the side. Only a few yards from them stood three akuma, two level 3s and a level 2. Lavi and Bookman only hesitated a moment before they split, Lavi heading for the akuma with his hammer, and Bookman towards the mother and child with his scroll. Just as Bookman came to a halt at the woman's side, a black star appeared on her face, quickly spreading across her entire body before turning her to ash. The small boy was unconscious on the ground. Lavi swung his hammer into the air, activating his fire stamp and letting loose a cry of ,"Hellfire!" as he brought it down on the akuma. The level 3 quickly dodged the attack, but the level 2 was caught in the flames and was destroyed. The remaining akuma began to softly chuckle.

"Resssa," one said to the other, "They killed Chee..." The other made a shrugging motion, "Yesss Deku, but Chee wasss a weakling, nothing more than meat... a sssnack for usss later on." At this their laughter grew louder, "And look, Deku! The exorcisssts have come to play!" Deku began to clap, the ends of his fingers curving into small scythes, "Yesss, Yess! They have come to replace Chee asss our sssnack!"

Lavi tightened his grip on his hammer, once again activating his fire stamp. At that moment Resa raised his arms, multiple black orbs appearing between them, and Deku lunged at Bookman.

Lavi brought his hammer into the ground, a dragon of flames erupting up and roaring towards Resa. Bookman flung out his scroll, his Heaven's Compass forming a shield of black needles to protect his and the boy from Deku's scythes. Resa's orbs shattered, sending a wave of red sand towards Lavi. The sand quickly smothered his dragon, then returned to Resa and reformed into the black orbs.

A repetitive 'clink clink' was coming from the right, where Deku was continually attacking Bookman's shield with his scythes, gradually breaking down the needles. Resa began to cackle, and Lavi swore. "Fire's not gonna work, so then let's try pitting your element against you!" The wood stamp began to shine brightly on his hammer, and he raised it high into the air. However, his attack was interrupted as a huge black shape tore through the trees.

Lavi's wood stamp vanished as he stared, shocked, at the monstrous black wolf that stood not 5 yards from him. Another wolf, this one a smaller white streak, shot out from behind the black wolf and slammed into Deku, knocking him to the ground before rolling back onto it's paws.

Resa hissed, "You mongrelsss again! Filthy beassstsss!" Deku scrambled to get to his feet, but the white wolf again attacked him. Resa moved his orbs to attack, but the deep growl that was coming from the black wolf stopped him. The wolf spread it's front paws slightly, it's claws digging into the earth. It raised it's head and parted it's maw, the pocket of air inside rapidly heating up. It was only a second before it flung it's head forward and released a stream of pure white flames at Resa, completely engulfing the akuma in the inferno.

Resa's screams were joined by Deku's as the white wolf tore him apart, flinging his limbs into the fire. It was only moments before the screams of the akuma died with the white flames, and the clearing was left silent again.

Lavi stood, stunned into silence, as the two wolves joined each other side by side again. Bookman, however, had stood, and was chanting ever so softly in a language that Lavi had never heard before. The wolves shook themselves, the smaller one stretching, before both bounded back into the forest, leaving no evidence other than the charred ground to prove that they had ever been there.

Bookman stopped chanting after countless minutes, and Lavi noticed that a thin mist had appeared in the area. He opened his mouth the ask what is was, and was immediately assaulted with a metallic taste on his tongue. He hesitated for a moment, though once the mist had settled and left the ground with a slight sheen he knew exactly what it was.

"Silver? Why is there silver...?" He cut off as it all came together, "Wait... werewolves?! You actually thought those overgrown dogs were werewolves?!" He would have started laughing, but the look on Bookman's face stopped him.

"Lavi," the old man said, "There is much that you still don't know. Lycanthropes are highly dangerous creatures... the records the Bookmen have in their archives tell us as much." Lavi was stunned, "So... they really do exist?" Bookman only nodded. "But the silver didn't do anything! They just ran off as quickly as they showed up!"

"That's exactly why the silver didn't work," Bookman explained. "The beasts ran off before I could completely cover the area in it." Lavi thought a moment, but before he could ask any more questions, Bookman had taken the boy into his arms and was headed towards the gates. "Enough about this for now, Lavi. We need to get this boy to a doctor." Lavi nodded and followed him into the village, his worries about the dreams increasing with each second that passed.

**So, I realize the chapter's not too long, and I can't promise they'll be much longer in the future. **

**Any reviews AND critiques are greatly appreciated. Also, I know I'm not the greatest writer, so any tips would be loved, too! Hope you enjoyed! ~Reese**


	3. Children of Blood and Darkness

"You done yet?" The voice belonged to one of the two females who hid in the alley. The one who was standing had asked the question. The other was crouched low to the ground, a large, shapeless lump in her arms.

Both girls were similar in appearance: thin, petite, and pale. The one who had spoken had long, dark hair that was pulled into a single braid down her back. Her eyes were the color of amethyst. There was a soft "thump" as the second girl dropped what she was holding and stood, whipping dark liquid from her mouth.

"Yes, I'm done. My apologies for taking so long." The girl was only slightly shorter than the other but had the same long hair, only hers was silver, threaded with black, and hung down her back and over her shoulders. Her eyes shone the color of sapphire.

"Dante… you don't have to apologize. I know as well as you that you can't control this." The dark haired girl had knelt beside the lump on the ground. Dante sighed, running a hand through her hair, "Yes, Yumi, but it's getting worse!" She fell back against the wall of the alley.

Yumi only shook her head and placed a hand on the lump, turning it over. It was a man, looking to be no older than 18, possibly 20. His skin was pale, his eyes dark with death, and there were two puncture wounds on his neck.

"You needn't worry," she said, "We'll find an answer." Dante watched as Yumi closed the man's eyes and stood. "May your soul rest forever in Oblivion," both girls whispered, as the corpse slowly began to dissolve into a fine grey mist, sinking into the floor and walls of the alley.

"Come, Dante, and don't worry," Yumi said, pulling up the hood of her travelling cloak, "No one will find the body. He is one with the darkness now." Dante stared at the spot where the man once rested only a moment more before pulling up her hood and following Yumi out of the alley.

The sun was hanging low in the sky over the village, and it would soon be dark. Dante and Yumi emerged from the alley onto a street that was relatively deserted. The few people that did turn their attention to the two girls, they ignored, heading towards the gates at the entrance of the village.

It didn't take the two very long to reach the main streets of the village, and they attracted very little attention. This was mainly due to the fact that most of the villagers stayed indoors because of the attacks. Villagers had started to go missing a short time ago, and their bodies would turn up again mummified. Yumi and Dante, like the villagers, didn't know what had happened to cause the mummification, but they knew who had caused it.

As the two neared the gates, they saw two men running. One was younger, with bright, crimson colored hair and an eye patch covering one of his eyes. The other was older, shorter, and was carrying a small boy in his arms. Dante couldn't see any wounds on the boy, but he was unconscious, and this worried her.

The two men ran past them, and Dante turned as if she was going to follow them, but Yumi placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her head and pulling Dante towards the gates. "The boy will be fine; they're taking him to the hospital. We must go to the others, Dante." Dante didn't hesitate, but followed Yumi out of the village and into the forest.

~~[Scene Skip]~~

The white wolf crashed into the tree behind it, smashing it to pieces. The black wolf made a noise that sounded much like laughter and growled at the other. The white wolf quickly got back up from the ground, shaking itself off and charging at the other wolf, barreling into it.

The two wolves continued to roll around on the ground, biting and clawing at each other, but it didn't seem that they were fighting. The smaller white wolf grabbed ahold of the fur at the other's shoulder and rolled, flinging it off into the trees.

There were more smashing sounds as tree broke, and then that was followed by laughter. "I give, I give!" called a voice from the trees. Moments later a man emerged from the tree line, brushing wood pieces from his shoulders and legs. He was chucking now, rubbing at his shoulder. "Geeze little sister, did you have to bite me _that_ hard?"

He shook his head, more wood pieces falling from his auburn hair. He was tall, with deep green eyes and dark olive-toned skin. He wore a white, unbuttoned, sleeveless vest and black pants. He wore no shoes or shirt.

The white wolf rolled to its feet and pawed over to the man, nudging him with its nose. "Yeah yeah, I said I give!" he cried, playfully swatting its nose away. The wolf knocked him to his butt with its head, a low growl in its throat. He laughed, "Fine, little sis. _You win!"_ At this the wolf nodded, stepping back and shaking itself.

The wolf began to change. Its features became more human like, more feminine. Its white fur gave way to deep olive-toned skin like the man's. The girl's hair was auburn as well, and her eyes were a vibrant emerald. Her clothes were simple as well: a black sleeveless shirt and a pair of deer skin pants that hugged her legs closely and cut off just below her knees. She, too, was barefoot.

"I told ya I'd beat you again, brother" she said with a smirk.

"Yeah, but honestly, I think you cheated!"

"Cheated? You filthy dog! I'll show you cheating!"

The two ran at each other, wrestling back and forth. Their canine teeth were elongated and looked like fangs, which they used occasionally to snap at each other. They were completely enthralled in their play fight that they didn't see the two girls enter the clearing.

"Aya! Damien!"

"Idiotic dogs!"

Both shouts resounded at the same time, and Yumi and Dante stopped a few feet from the other two. Both stopped fighting, but they were laughing.

"Yumi, Dante!" Damien cried, throwing his arms into the air, "It's a time to celebrate! My sister and I destroyed the monsters!" Dante gave a small smile, "and the boy?"

Aya bumped shoulders with her brother, "The boy will be fine. His mother didn't make it, however."

Dante sighed, "At least the boy is safe…"

Yumi shook her head, "And what of the two men? Were they witnesses to your battle with the monsters?"

Damien nodded, "Yeah, they were fighting the monsters when we finally tracked 'em down. It was weird… one summoned flames, even" Aya nodded, "And the other used a scroll to shield the boy and himself with black needles…"

Dante frowned, "But they saw you?" She looked troubled, "If they start spreading rumors of giant wolves around the village, it will only send the villagers into a bigger panic…"

"But the monsters are dead!" Damien said with a grin, "We no longer have to stick, around. Sure, they'll panic for a few weeks, but eventually they'll calm down. I mean, there won't be any giant wolves for them to find out here once we get out of here."

"Oh? So sending them into a crazed panic is alright for you?" Dante asked, looking irritated, "You can't just scare these people shitless, Damien! They've been through enough! Do you realize how many people lost husbands, wives, sons and daughters to those creatures? And in such a horrid way, too! What those things did… the victims were completely mummified when they were found!"

Damien held up his hands in surrender, "I know Dante, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry. It's just that, what can we do? None of us can make those guys forget they saw us, and we can't stop them for saying anything. Of course… if they weren't _around_ to be able to say anything…"

"Damien!" Dante cried, "We won't kill innocent humans!"

"We won't have to…" Yumi said, causing everyone to look at her. She nodded towards Aya, "Go on, tell them."

Aya shrugged, rubbing her right arm, "One of the men, the older one, knows what we are… werewolves I mean. And I don't think he'll say anything, either."

"How can you be sure?" Dante asked

"I can't be sure 100%, but look," she held out her arm, and Damien inhaled sharply, gently grabbing it. "Aya, what the hell is this?" There was an angry red burn on her arm above the elbow, like someone had held a torch to the skin. It had blistered, and was bleeding a little.

"The old man, I think he filled the area with silver power," Aya said matter of factly, taking back her arm from her brother.

"But I wasn't burned, it couldn't have been silver"

"It was," Aya said, cutting him off, "I think he concentrated it in front of us, but you'd already reached the trees when it finally appeared. It caught my arm, but I was able to avoid it touching anything else."

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Yumi asked, taking Aya's arm and examining it carefully. "You shouldn't have been wrestling with your brother, either."

Aya shrugged, "I didn't really notice it until I was walkin' on two legs again." She laughed softly, then cringed, "Though now it hurts like a bitch"

"I'm gonna kill that bastard dead," Damien growled, his fingernails growing into short claws.

"Calm yourself, Damien," Yumi ordered, leading Aya to the edge of the trees, "The human was simply protecting himself and his companions. He believed you two were dangerous."

Damien spat, "That doesn't excuse him hurting my sister."

Dante laid a hand on his forearm, "No, but Aya will be ok. The silver only burned her, it didn't enter her bloodstream. In a few days the burn will have healed. Relax, Damien."

"And Damien," Aya called from the tree line, "That was terrible grammar."

Damien smiled, but he didn't retract his claws. Dante led him over to stand beside Yumi and Aya. "I know how you're fairly certain, Aya, but we must be sure. I want you and Damien to watch those two, make sure they don't go around spreading rumors."

Yumi had taken Aya's arm and was bandaging it, and at Dante's plan she looked up, "And what do you propose we do if they do, in fact, cause chaos?"

Dante looked to Damien, "You bring them to us. You do _not_ hurt them, but you bring them to us the minute you think they've gained the inkling to tell stories. I have a feeling they'll be around for a while, which mean we'll have to stay as well."

Yumi had finished wrapping Aya's arm. "It stings," Aya stated, wincing as she moved it in a circle, "But it'll heal up soon. I'll help my brother, and make sure he doesn't _accidentally _hurt the men." She smiled sweetly at Damien, who scowled in return. Yumi gave a short nod, "Then you two will keep watch on the humans, and we shall remain in the village until they leave." The others nodded in agreement, and at that they all started back towards the village.

**Sooo, second chapter is up! I hope you guys enjoy, and as always, reviews and tips are **_**very**_** much appreciated! ~Reese**


	4. Returning Nightmares

Lavi pulled his cloak tighter around his frame and quickened his pace as he made his way down the street. It had begun to drizzle a few moments before, and now it was as if the clouds had opened themselves and dumped whatever water they had onto the earth below.

"Stupid old geezer," Lavi mumbled, "Making me run all his errands." His gaze shifted to the bag he held in his hands, which was soaked, despite his efforts to shield it from the rain with his cloak. It was all just traveling supplies, which they did need, but the rain had made Lavi grumpy, and all he really wanted right now was to get back to their room and change into nice, dry, warm clothes.

As he rounded the corner, the dark form of the inn came into view. At this sight a small smile crept onto his face, and he nearly broke into a sprint. As it was, by the time he reached the doors he was soaked, and his boots were covered in mud.

Lavi's gaze dropped to his boots as he contemplated trying to scrape some of the mud off before going inside, though after a few moments of trying, and failing, to clean up he gave up and walked into the inn.

The inn wasn't anything special or grand. It consisted of an older building, with three floors. The main floor served as both the check-in and a bar, where travelers and residents could order food and drink. The two floors above were filled completely with rooms for rent.

Lavi liked this place. The people were nice, and he especially liked the bartender. He was a boy around his age, Jace was his name, and he had been a lot of fun to talk to. Looking around now, Lavi realized that Jace was nowhere to be seen. He headed over to the main desk, where he was greeted by the owner of the inn, an older man by the name of Dunstain.

"Lavi! That old man running you around again I see. Ha! You look like a wet dog, boy."

Lavi smiled at this, shrugging. "Yeah, the old panda's getting lazy, making me run all his errand nowadays." He motioned over towards the bar, "Where's Jace?"

At this, a dark shadow passed over Dunstain's face, and he leaned in closer to Lavi. "The poor boy's gone missing. Some of the villagers think it's another attack, and they're waiting for his body to show up like the others."

What? Lavi had been sure that the akuma were responsible for all the attacks, and he had said goodbye to Jace just this morning before him and Bookman had left. The akuma were dead, he was sure of that… unless there had been more. This news saddened Lavi, he really had liked Jace.

"You sure he didn't just go home early?"

Dunstain shook his head, "I sent him out to get more supplies just right after you and the old man left. He hasn't returned, and you know Jace, the boy would never just leave."

Lavi knew exactly what Dunstain ment. Jace was a good boy, loyal through and through. He was always trying to please other people, do his best. If Dunstain had sent him out to get more supplies, Jace would have done everything in his power to get back to the inn.

"Does this mean you're looking for a new bartender?"

The voice came from behind Lavi, and he turned to see a girl walking towards the desk. She was a few inches shorter than Lavi, and looked to be about the same age. Her dark auburn hair was pulled into a low ponytail, revealing several piercings in her ears. Her skin was tan, her eyes a piercing green color. She wore a white tunic like top, with a simple pair of deerskin capri shorts under. Her feet were covered by a pair of black flat shoes.

Dunstain made an irritated noise, "Look… Aya, was it?" The girl nodded, "I already told you, we don't have any more rooms available for you and your brother."

The girl, Aya, shook her head, "Yes, I heard you the first time, sir, but that's not what I asked."

Lavi had to hold back a smirk. The girl was trying to be polite, but the 'sir' had been forced, and it was obvious that being 'polite' wasn't something she did often.

Dunstain frowned, "Then what do you want?" He was apparently done with being polite.

A slight frown appeared on Aya's face. "I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your bartender, and I mean no disrespect, but my brother and I really need a place to stay, and there's nowhere else available. You have rooms reserved for your workers, right?"

Dunstain answered after only a brief hesitation, "We do…"

"Then I'll work for you. I can clean rooms, do dishes, whatever you need. And my brother can work as your new bartender."

Dunstain shook his head, "Jace is our bartender, young lady, and until he resigns himself, that won't change."

Aya held up her hands, "Like I said, I mean no disrespect. But from what I heard, Jace isn't expected to come back…" She paused, tilting her head slightly as if listening for something. "Tell you what, how about my brother and I work here until your Jace returns? If he comes waltzing in tomorrow, then we'll pack up and leave, no questions asked. But if he doesn't come back tomorrow, there's no sense in losing business."

Lavi could tell that Dunstain wanted to decline, though he wasn't entirely sure why. This Aya seemed like a decent enough girl, and what she had said was true. If Jace didn't return tomorrow, then Dunstain would lose business. Her offer was a good, reasonable one indeed.

"She has a point, Dunstain," he said, leaning against the desk. "She said it herself, if Jace comes back tomorrow, they'll leave, no questions asked. It's a win-win situation for you."

Dunstain shifted his gaze to Lavi, then back to Aya. He still seemed reluctant, but with a sigh finally gave in. "Alright, Aya. You and your brother can stay here. But you two start work first thing tomorrow morning, you understand?"

Aya gave a small smile, "I understand perfectly, sir, and I thank you for your generosity." She gave a slight nod in his direction, and then turned her attention to Lavi. "I thank you as well….?"

She was waiting for Lavi to give his name, but he couldn't seem to find the words. The minute her piercing emerald eyes had rested on him, a feeling of uneasiness had filled him. It wasn't fear he was feeling, nothing like that, but it was definitely an unpleasant emotion. Was this why Dunstain had been reluctant to let her stay?

Only a few short second passed before he mentally shook himself and put on a smile, "Lavi, it's Lavi. And you're welcome."

Aya gave a short nod, "Lavi, I see. Well thank you again, Lavi, and you as well, Dunstain." She started to back away from the desk, turning towards the door, "Now if you'll excuse me, I must go find my brother and tell him the good news." And with another short nod towards them both, she left.

Dunstain stared after her, shaking his head slightly from side to side, "That girl there is trouble, boy, I can feel it."

Lavi only nodded, still trying to shake the feeling of uneasiness that had settled over his body like a thick fog.

~~[Scene Skip]~~

Damien made a face, still not wanting to believe what his sister had told him.

"You mean I actually have to SERVE humans?" His tone was pure disgust.

Aya frowned, giving a slight shrug, "Yeah, but I have to clean for them. If you ask me, I got the short end of the stick."

The two were walking back towards the village, both carrying traveling packs over their shoulders.

"Besides," Aya continued, "This was the only way to stay at the same inn as those two guys. The stupid owner was reluctant even to let us work there."

Damien chuckled at this, lightly punching his sister's arm. "Well maybe if you didn't give everyone that look of yours-" he began.

"What look?" Aya interrupted, punching him back not-so-lightly.

"The one you always have!" Damien replied, staggering back a few steps while rubbing his arm. "It's creepy, the way you look at people. It scares the shit out of me sometimes, too!"

Aya mumbled some incoherent insult, to which Damien chuckled again.

"Regardless, good job little sister."

"For what?"

"For getting us closer to our prey, of course!"

"They're not our prey, idiot," Aya said, rolling her eyes at her brother, "We've just gotta-"

"Watch them and make sure they don't blow our cover, yeah, yeah, yeah" Damien interrupted with a frown, "You're no fun anymore."

Aya laughed, "No fun, you say? I'd have to dis-" She stopped short, freezing mid-step.

"What is it?" Damien asked, coming to a halt beside her.

Aya held up a hand and sniffed the air a few times. "Do you smell that?"

Damien sniffed as well, his nose crinkling up. "What the hell-?"

At that moment a piercing howl ripped through the night sky, causing Damien and Aya to flinch. It ended after a few moments, leaving the surrounding area as silent as it had been moments before.

"Damien… That was… No, it couldn't be…" Aya's gaze shifted to her brother, whose expression mimicked hers: Doubtful and fearful.

"That smell… that sound… How the hell-?" He paused, mentally shaking himself as his expression returned to normal. "Forget about it, Aya. It's not possible."

Aya nodded, but was still doubtful. "What do you think it was, then?"

Damien shrugged, "Just a lone wolf… probably injured, judging by the sound of it."

Aya couldn't be sure, but she thought that she could hear a slight tremor in her brother's voice. "Don't you think we should check it out? Just to be sure?"

Damien shifted his gaze to her, his expression softening. "Will that make you feel better, little Aya?"

Aya frowned; she knew what he was doing: trying to distract her by annoying her. "Yes actually, it will."

Damien laughed, "Then I'll check it out first thing tomorrow. But I'm telling you, you're just being paranoid!"

He nudged her shoulder as he began walking again, keeping his expression cheery. The last thing he needed was to let his sister see what he was really feeling: fear. The truth was, he didn't think Aya was being paranoid, he agreed with her. The mere thought of those creatures being in this world chilled his very core.

These beings were true monsters. They, like Damien and Aya, were a breed of wolf demons. However, these monsters were pure evil. They were the creatures who brought about the horrid legends of the werewolves, the stories that would give a grown man nightmares. If they had somehow managed to find a way to cross into this world… Damien didn't even want to think about it.

**Sorry for taking so long! But the third chapter is now up and complete. I know, another short one, but folks, this is the way I write, haha xD I'll try to get chapters up quicker in the future, and I guess I'll try to make them longer, too! Any who, as always enjoy! And reviews would be GREATLY appreciated! Seriously, even a single word would be fine. Reviews boost the writer's confidence, you know xD**

**~Reese**


	5. Pillars of Light and Time

_It was chaos in the valley. Corpses of all kind were scattered everywhere: human, demon, and beast, and yet the battle was still raging as hard as ever. The sky was full of flying creatures, ripping and tearing at each other. One in particular stood out; a gorgeous black form was weaving through the chaos effortlessly. _

_The form was a dragon, it's pitch scales pitch black and sleek, it's eyes a deep crimson. The dragon's rider was even more beautiful. Pale, thin and petite, with hair as black as her dragon's, and eyes the color of amethyst. Clothed in all black, she was a dark queen, wielding a long, sharp blade and slaying all that came before her. _

_The dragon's cry of agony tore through it's rider as it was attacked from behind and sent spiraling. The rider was thrown off, giving a cry of despair as her dragon, her partner, crashed into the ground below with a deafening crack. _

_Large black wings carried the rider to the ground and she sprinted off to aid her dragon. Her cries of despair turned to cries of heartbreak and rage as the dragon's attack ripped through its scaled neck, ending its life almost instantly. _

_The rider ran on, ancient marking spreading over her body as her eyes burned pure white. The attacker, a large phoenix and its rider, turned to face this new threat, but had no time to react as the huge, monstrous creature in front of them ripped through them, shredding them to pieces._

Raphael's vision was shattered as a foul aura entered the clearing. His crystal blue eyes opened slowly to scan his surroundings, searching for the offender, but finding no one in sight. With a sigh he stood, brushing off his long, white sleeveless coat and pushing his wavy brown hair out of his eyes. Other than his coat, Raphael wore all black: long black pants, black shoes, and a black short-sleeved shirt.

A branch snapped behind him, and he turned, large wings unfurling from his back. The wings shone like metal, the feathers appearing as small knives from a distance. His cool gaze fell on a man emerging from the trees.

The man was on the shorter side, Raphael, standing at 6'3'', stood a good foot over him. The man had olive toned skin, but he also had a sickly paleness to him. His eyes were a vibrant crimson, and at times it looked as though his eyes were two balls of fire. His hair was long, shaggy and black. His chest was bare except for a pale grey vest that hung open, and he wore black baggy pants that cut off below his knees. His feet were bare, and his ears were pointed. At his back were two wings, large and leathery, and they looked as if they could shine a beautiful ruby color, but were instead a dull orange shade.

"Caleb." Raphael gave a short nod to the man.

Caleb gave a crooked grin in response, showing sharp, pointed canine teeth, "Raphael."

Raphael crossed his arms across his chest, moving no closer to Caleb. To tell the truth, the man creeped him out. Caleb was a mutt, a hybrid, a half-breed. His kind was the result of a crossing of a werewolf and a Faerie, and the result was absolutely disgusting. Faeries looked down upon these creatures, regarding them as trash, and werewolves were absolutely terrified of them: They were the Rashak.

"I'm guessing by your appearance that you have news for me?"

Caleb nodded, giving a small bow to the archangel. "Yes, I do indeed."

"And?" Raphael scowled. He hated dealing with the Rashak; the bastards were so damn annoying.

"I've found the girl. She resides in a small village in the east."

Raphael frowned, "Is she alone?"

"No."

"Who are her companions?"

"A vampire girl and werewolf siblings."

Raphael smirked, "Easy enough to dispose of."

Caleb made a face, "I wouldn't be so sure, archangel. The vampire girl is old, very powerful, and I know the siblings. They, too, are powerful. The boy is the leader of one of the strongest packs back in our world, and his sister is a special one indeed."

"How so?"

Caleb smirked, "Her mother was a werewolf shaman, and her father… her father was Rashak."

Raphael frowned at this, thinking a moment before he gave a small smile. "You take care of the siblings. I'll deal with the vampire."

"What shall you do with the girl?"

"My queen…," Raphael smirked, "You need not worry, I will take care of her. She won't be able to avenge the death of her friends."

Caleb grinned, "It will be my pleasure then, Raphael, to dispose of the siblings for you."

"Good. Get rid of them as soon as possible."

Caleb gave a nod, then turned and ran from the clearing.

Raphael sighed, unfolding his arms and relaxing. The Rashak were hard to trust. Their Fae blood made them tricksters by nature, and gave them magic to boost. Their Lycan blood gave them the ability to transform into giant wolves that could rip you to shreds in a matter of seconds.

Raphael once again sat cross-legged on the ground. His Queen, Yumi, sure did keep interesting company. An ancient vampire, a pack leader, and this other girl… The werewolves were deathly afraid of the Rashak, so for the two to produce a child… It was an interesting mix indeed.

He closed his eyes, letting his mind clear. Raphael was an archangel, and as such he had been granted a special ability by his master. His ability was time: he could see into the future, and, once granted a Queen, he could see into her past.

Raphael could feel another vision coming on, and so he let his body completely relax, giving way to the darkness that came before the vision.

~[Scene Skip]~

Aya sighed and stretched. This cleaning business was harder than she thought it would be. It was almost noon now, so she'd been cleaning floors and doing dishes all morning.

Granted, Dunstain had told her that she could spread the chores out, so that she didn't have to work non-stop all morning, but Aya figured that if she got them all done at once, she could just chill out the rest of the day.

She frowned and rubbed at her arm. The burn there still hurt like crazy. Normally, she'd already be healed because of her werewolf blood. Heck, she could give herself a third degree burn and it would be healed by morning.

However, this burn had been caused by silver, and silver was poison. So, sadly, it would take forever for this damn thing to heal.

A low chuckle made her freeze.

"What's the matter, did you hurt yourself cleaning?"

Aya turned, only to find the boy, Lavi, standing in the doorway to his room. She grinned, "Nope, previous injury."

Lavi hesitated, the uneasy feeling returning again as her gaze fell upon him. He mentally shook himself, however, and tried not to let it show. "I see, from what?"

Aya's grin became devilish, "I'd have to kill ya if I told ya, boy."

Lavi didn't completely doubt that, but he laughed anyways, "Then by all means, leave me in my ignorance. Aya, was it?"

Aya gave a short nod, extending her hand, "Indeed it is. And you're Lavi, correct?"

Lavi took her hand in his own, giving a nod. He was about to ask her about her first day of work when Bookman opened the door and stepped into the hall.

Aya froze, anger filling her as quick as lightning as her arm began to throb where it had been burned. She remembered, however, that she had stopped Damien from trying to kill this man, and so she did her best to calm herself.

She smiled and gave a small wave, leaning against the broom she'd been using earlier to sweep the floors. "Hey there."

Bookman frowned, looking from Aya to Lavi and back before finally giving a short nod.

"This your grandpa?" Aya asked Lavi.

Lavi began laughing, and even Bookman smirked a little, "Nah, this old panda is my teacher, mentor, whatever you'd like to call him."

Aya grinned, "What's he teachin' ya?"

Bookman cleared his throat before Lavi could answer, "Come on boy, we've got to go."

Lavi frowned as Bookman walked past him and headed for the stairs at the end of the hall.

"Did I say somethin' wrong?" Aya asked, watching Bookman go while trying hard to suppress the urge to rip his head off.

Lavi shrugged, "I don't think so… He's just grumpy." Lavi started following Bookman, "Guess I'll see you later?"

Aya gave a short nod, "Guess so, boy."

Lavi smiled and ran after Bookman, who had reached the stairs.

"It's not like you to be rude, panda," he said.

Bookman frowned, "That girl… something's not right about her."

Lavi stopped, halfway down the stairs, "You feel it, too?"

Bookman stopped as well and turned, "what do you mean, brat?"

Lavi frowned, "I'm not sure why, but I get this uneasy feeling every time she looks at me…"

Bookman gave a nod, "It might be best to stay away from her."

"You think so?"

Bookman nodded again, "I don't like this feeling. It's more than just uneasiness…" He didn't continue, but turned and continued walking down the stairs. Lavi followed Bookman out into the main floor of the inn. Bookman headed over towards the main desk to talk to Dunstain, and so Lavi headed over to the bar.

Aya's brother, Damien, was behind the counter. Or, Lavi assumed this guy was her brother, they certainly looked alike. Damien was leaning on the counter, talking to a smaller girl sitting on one of the stools. The girl was pale, with long black hair that hung straight down her back. She was wearing a black halter corset, a silver belt, close fitting black pants, and black knee-high boots.

As Lavi got closer to the two, he could tell that Damien was worried about something, and the girl was nodding. He could just barely make out their conversation.

"I know this is really far-fetched, but I'm really worried, Yumi. I'd check it out myself, but I can't leave her alone."

The girl, Yumi, frowned, "Your concern is understandable. If the Rashak have indeed managed to cross, then we must eliminate them as soon as possible."

"I can't let them get to Aya, I can't!"

Yumi placed a hand on Damien's shoulder, "Relax, they're not going to get anywhere near her. Dante and I will look around."

Damien still didn't look convinced.

"Damien listen to me, Dante and I will take care of this."

They stopped talking as Lavi neared the bar, and Yumi stood up straight. She gave another nod to Damien before turning and leaving.

"What can I get you?" Damien had straightened as well and turned his attention to Lavi, all worry gone from his face.

Lavi took a seat, "Nothing, actually, I just came by to say hi."

Damien gave a small smirk, "Hi, then."

"Name's Lavi, you must be Aya's brother."

A look of surprise flashed across Damien's face, but vanished a second later. "You've met my sister?"

Lavi nodded.

"Hmm, well yeah, I'm her older brother, Damien. Nice to meet you, Lavi."

"Likewise." Lavi gave a short nod, "How're you liking the job?"

Damien gave a shrug, "It's alright. Nothing too hard, and it comes with a place to stay, so I'm not complaining. Though I'm sure my sister hates cleaning."

Lavi chuckled, "I ran into her this morning, and she didn't look like she was enjoying herself at all. In fact, it looked like it had irritated an old injury of hers…"

"Old injury?"

Lavi nodded, "Yeah, on her arm."

A dark look passed over Damien's face, "Ah, yes, that one."

"Yeah, what happened?"

Damien was about to answer, but stopped. Lavi was about to ask what was wrong, but Damien's gaze slid to the entrance of the inn. The boy paled.

"Aya…" He had spoken her name as a whisper, and a second later he leapt out form behind the bar and ran towards the stairs.

"Hey!" Lavi called after him, but before he could make a move to follow Damien, a high-pitched howl sounded outside, and there was a loud cracking sound as the door to the inn, and most of the front wall exploded.

Lavi was thrown into the bar, and there were several screams from the people in the inn.

"Lavi!"

Bookman had been the furthest from the entrance, but even so, the blast had sent him and Dunstain flying. He had seen Lavi crash into the bar, and he couldn't see him now. His gaze wandered over to the huge hole that used to be a wall, and his breath caught.

Standing outside the entrance were two giant wolves. The one was black, with blazing red eyes. The other was grey, with eyes like the sun.

Bookman could now see Lavi. The boy was pulling himself out of the rubble. "Lavi, stay down!" Bookman cried, clasping his hands together and beginning to chant.

Lavi was disoriented, but tried to stand anyways. The movement just caused him to fall on his butt, and when he looked up and saw the wolves, he didn't want to move again.

These wolves weren't like the ones from the clearing yesterday. These wolves terrified him. They were bigger than the others had been, and these ones looked evil. It was something about their appearance, but he couldn't quite place what it was.

The black wolf began walking into the inn, its fiery gaze searching for something. Lavi looked back to find Bookman chanting again, and looked around for the thin mist of silver. He saw nothing, however, and looked back to Bookman.

The grey wolf followed his gaze, and Lavi could've sworn it laughed.

"_Give it up, old man."_

The words echoed through the air, the voice raspy. Lavi didn't know who had spoken.

"_You can't summon silver to this place." _

"_Our magic is much stronger than yours."_

This second voice was deeper, and not as raspy. Lavi realized with a start that it was the wolves who had spoken. He again heard that horrid laughter and the grey wolf lunged at Bookman.

There was a loud crash as another black wolf slammed into the grey one, and both went flying into a wall. The second black wolf jumped off the grey one and landed back by the stairs, where a smaller white wolf had emerged.

Lavi could've died at the sight of four giant wolves in the inn, and as it was he again tried to stand and make his way back to Bookman. He thought about grabbing his hammer, but these wolves weren't akuma… But still, it might just work.

He was about to grab his hammer when another voice echoed around the room.

"_What the hell do you want?"_

This voice was strangely familiar to Lavi, which is why he'd stopped.

The grey wolf had gotten up, and was crouched low to the floor, ready to spring, but the evil looking black wolf stopped it with a low growl.

"_You know what we want, Damien, it's the same thing we always want. I've come to kill you and your little sister."_

Damien? Lavi looked to the second black wolf, and then his gaze fell on the white wolf that was crouched behind the black one. When he looked at it, the white wolf's gaze locked on his, and those piercing emerald eyes brought back that uneasy feeling.

"Lavi!" Bookman came to a stop beside him. "Somehow they've managed to block the magic. I can't summon silver into the inn. We're going to have to fight them off if we have any chance of surviving."

"Bookman… those two wolves, the ones from yesterday…"

"I heard. It seems that the new residents, Damien and Aya, are the wolves that killed the akuma yesterday."

Lavi again looked to the wolves by the stairs.

"_Give up you bastard, I won't let you take her away!"_

There was more laughter.

"_You certainly can't expect help from your little friends. They're busy at the moment."_

Damien growled. There was no way in hell he was letting anything happen to Aya. Screw the mortals here; he would do anything to get her away from here.

"_Then you'll just have to fight us then, ya little bitch."_

This voice was definitely female, and definitely Aya's. The white wolf stepped out from behind Damien and stood beside him. Damien cast a sideways glance at his sister, but said nothing.

The other two wolves began laughing.

"_I'm glad that this won't be a boring fight… You two ready to die?"_

The inn was filled with vicious growling, and only seconds later, all hell broke loose.

**That's it for this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. Haha, don't kill me for the ending, and I promise to get the next chapter up as soon as possible! As always, reviews are so very welcome! ~Reese**


	6. Overcome

Yumi frowned, If Damien was right, and the Rashak had somehow managed to cross… Then that could very well mean that anyone could cross, and that also meant that they could find a way to cross back. She shook her head, it was best not to think of such things. She would talk to Dante about it, see what she thought.

Yumi pulled up the hood of her cloak and continued through the crowd, weaving silently through the mass of people. She was good at going unnoticed, it was something she had learned to do at a young age.

_My queen…_

She froze, her gaze now searching. That voice that swirled in her head now, she recognized it, and a sense of dread filled her, followed closely by a red hot rage and the instinct to run.

_You can't hide from me… Not anymore…_

Yumi turned, and she found him. The man stood a good 16 yards away, but she knew it was him. His silver wings gleamed in the sunlight, the faint sparkle the glamour was producing only making them look more metallic.

Raphael… The bastard had followed her, which meant that Damien's fears were most likely true as well, the Rashak were here as well. Yumi turned and began walking again, confronting him now would only cause innocent humans to lose their lives.

"_Dante!"_

She sent out the telepathic cry, praying that the vampire was near. Her prayers were answered as the small girl appeared beside her, her dark cloak hiding her features.

"_What has happened?"_

Dante could tell that something was wrong. A foul aura had appeared in the area around the inn that Aya and Damien were staying in, and it puzzled her that Yumi was walking towards the forest bordering the village. Hadn't she sensed it as well?

"_Raphael"_

The name explained it all. Angels, despite common belief, were nothing but another race of demons. The humans had come up with the name 'Angel,' as they believed that these creatures were heavenly. In ancient times, however, they were known as the Children of Ra, Demons of Light, or the Sons of Apollo.

Despite what their name might be, they were the natural enemy of the Daughters of Artemis, or the Shadows, of which Yumi had once been, and the two races were constantly at war… The only problem being that the Angels had always had an advantage.

Dante looked over her shoulder, and sure enough, there he was. The damned man had managed to rise in the ranks, and was an Archangel, which meant he was that much more powerful.

"_He's crossed?"_

She saw Yumi give a short nod. "_Damien believes the Rashak have crossed as well…"_

Dante hissed, "_They have… They're at the Inn"_

Yumi started, hesitating a moment before beginning again. _"Damnit… We've got the take care of Raphael before going to them… Do you think they'll be alright?"_

Dante frowned, _"They'll have to be… Come, let's finish this quickly."_

Yumi gave another nod, and both girls vanished. Raphael had been following them, being sure to hide himself with glamour. When the girls disappeared he smirked, this was going to be entertaining. He took another few steps before he, too, vanished.

Off in the distance, somewhere in the forest, and explosion erupted.

~[Scene Skip]~

Aya hissed, a deep growl emitting from her chest. The inn was trashed, and most of the humans were gone, having either ran away or been killed. Her legs were shaking, and the only thing that was keeping her on her feet was the need to protect her brother.

She cast a quick glance in Damien's direction, and from the looks of it, his drive was the same as hers. However, he seemed to be more shaken up than she was. The more Aya fought the Rashak, the more angry she became, and her fear was getting more and more unnoticeable.

A crash alerted her back to the battle. The huge grey Rashak, Serda, had broken through the mass of rubble than had covered him only moments before. His bright yellow and orange gaze locked on Aya, his maw separating to reveal razor sharp teeth, the menacing growl coming from his chest rattling her nerves only slightly.

"_What's the matter? You angry about getting beat by a girl?"_

Serda's growl erupted into a roar, and he leapt at her, claws extended. Aya tensed her hind legs, and propelled herself into the air, easily soaring high over the attacking wolf. Whilst air born, she raked her claws across Serda's head, successfully pulling a howl of pain from his maw.

Serda turned mid air, opening his maw as a wave of icy air shot from his throat and raced towards Aya. She landed on the ground and slipped on smeared blood. As she fell the icy wave caught her front leg, ripping away fur and cutting through the skin.

Serda barked out a dry laugh, _"What's the matter girl? Too fast for ya?"_

Aya rolled back onto her feet, experimenting with her damaged foreleg. She only felt a slight pain, but she guessed that was mainly from blood loss. She smirked, barking back. _"You wish, bitch."_

Damien wanted to run to his sister, to help her, to get back at that bastard who hurt her. Unfortunately, however, Caleb was doing an excellent job at preventing that. The huge black Rashak had already managed to slice open his hind leg, and it was all because Damien was too distracted.

Caleb began to stalk back and forth, slowly inching closer towards Damien. _"Concentrate on me, boy. Don't make this TOO easy."_

Damien snarled, but gave no reply. He tensed, supressing a small shudder as the heat began to build deep in his chest.

Caleb could feel the pressure change, but he couldn't stop it. He lunged at Damien, using fallen boards to propel himself to the side as the jet of white flames streamed past him, lightly singing his fur. Damien was quick though, and cut off the stream of fire in enough time to rise up on his hind legs and catch Caleb as he rammed into him.

Caleb's jaws locked on the fur around Damein's neck, and Damien dug his claws deep into Caleb shoulders. It was a tug-of-war battle as both males tried to pull the other to the ground.

"_Give it up, bastard. I won't let you get to my sister, not while I'm still breathing."_

Caleb laughed, "_Oh? Is that a promise?"_

Damien roared, kicking with his hind legs and flipping backwards, throwing Caleb and himself onto the floor. He got his hind legs under Caleb, and used this force to throw the Rashak backwards into the roof.

He hissed in pain as Caleb's teeth ripped across the skin at his throat, though was satisfied as Caleb echoed his sound of pain, blood now covering Damien's claws.

Caleb hit the ground with a thud, only to be knocked over again as Serda crashed into him from the side. Aya landed beside Damien, who rolled back onto his feet.

"_You ok brother?"_

Damien made a small sound of irritation, noticing Aya's leg. _"Are you?"_

"_Of course, these guys are nothin'."_

Damien laughed at that, though couldn't help but notice how her eyes had taken on a sheen of excitement. It was her Rashak blood… That was what was keeping her from completely breaking down under the fear. God, if she ever found out that she was part Rashak… It would kill her.

Caleb and Serda both got to their feet again, shaking bits of rubble from their fur. Both began growling again, pacing back and forth.

All at once, they froze, their ears pointing straight. They began to growl again, but instead of attacking both darted towards the door, disappearing quickly.

Aya and Damien exchanged looks of confusion.

"_Did they just…. Run away?"_

"_I believe so, little sister…."_

Aya began laughing, falling onto her haunches. The laughter came out as more of a bark, which only made her laugh harder. It was from sheer relief, though, and Damien could easily relate.

Just thinking about the Rashak made his skin crawl, sent chills down his spine, and made it a lot harder to breathe… wait… He turned to his sister, who was breathing heavily. So it wasn't just his imagination…

"_Aya?"_

Aya turned to him, but her gaze locked onto something behind him. He eyes widened in fear, which made Damien turn. At that exact moment, however, his vision clouded and he became very dizzy, and as a result he fell to the ground.

A second thump told him that his sister had fallen as well. He looked up and saw the old man, Bookman was his name, chanting, his gold gaze locked onto Damien and his sister.

Damien realized with a start what had happened. The air was full of silver, that's why his vision was cloudy… The poison was heavy in the air, and both he and his sister had inhaled it.

He could feel it now, his body was reverting back to its human form. His gaze shifted to his sister, and he saw that she was changing faster than he was. It must be because of her previous contact with silver.

Rage filled Damien, and everything else was forgotten. He stood, snapping back to his wolf form in an instant. He threw himself at Bookman, fangs gleaming and claws extended.

Bookman's eyes widened in fear, and Damien could hear the boy, Lavi, scrambling to defend his teacher. He didn't care, he would kill them both.

"_Damien, no!"_

This, this stopped him. He hesitated, his sister's voice penetrating the rage. But it wasn't until he saw her jump in front of the two humans did he fully stop.

There were cries of alarm as Damien slammed into the naked form of his sister, sending them both crashing to the floor. Aya made a disgruntled noise as her gaze dropped to her chest, where Damien's claws were sunk deep into her flesh.

Damien jumped back so fast that he fell again, but his gaze never left Aya. Her small form was lying on the floor, blood spilling from the wound on her chest. Damien's rage vanishes, replaced quickly by despair.

The change began again, and he felt himself shifting back to his human form. The last thing he saw was his sister spasm, and then he blacked out.

**Aaaand Chapter 6 is up! In the next chapter you'll learn why the Rashak ran away xD And MAYBE you'll find out what happens to Aya and Damien… maybe xD I hope you enjoy the newest chapter of Neverember! ~Reese**


	7. Confusion and Surprises

There was another explosion, and this time Dante barely missed it. The vampire now crouched on a branch high above the ground, staring down at the mess they had made.

There was a huge clearing below, a result of the battle that had ensued only moments before. The trees had been blown to bits, forming a large open area. Dante's cold sapphire gaze scanned the scene below, and after only moment saw them.

Yumi and Raphael were locked in combat. Raphael had a large gash on his forehead that was bleeding heavily, matting his brown hair. Yumi had several scrapes on her arms, and one large cut on her side.

Dante herself wasn't wounded much, and this was largely because Raphael had no interest in her. He was interested in only Yumi, his Queen.

The Angels were an odd group. They despised the Shadows, and yet, once an individual Shadow reached a certain power level, they became known as Kings and Queens, and each Angel was 'assigned' to one: The males to a Queen, and the females, a King.

It was then that the Angel started to hunt their Shadow, for the blood of that Shadow, if absorbed into the Angle's body, would multiply the Angle's power tenfold, making them one of the Elite. Yumi had long ago become Raphael's Queen, and he had been hunting her ever since.

The two now were like light and darkness, fighting each other. It was rather beautiful to watch, Dante had to admit.

Raphael pushed Yumi away and unfurled his wings, spreading them out and crouching low to the ground. He then began to spin, his wings acting as giant blades, slicing through anything they came in contact with.

Yumi jumped, using a nearby stump to propel herself higher. She landed on a fallen tree that had been wedged between two large boulders, and she flicked her wrists. Long, black whips formed in her hands, and hit the ground with a loud snap.

Raphael barreled on, cutting through multiple stumps that remained on the ground. He extended his arms, his twin blades, Ichti and Sphera, adding to the whirlwind of his wings. Ichti and Sphera were angel blades. They were long swords, with blades made of a clear material as hard as diamonds, and a light that shone a bright blue color when held by Raphael.

Yumi braced herself against the tree and snapped her whips, grabbing a hold of Raphael's arms with them. This caused the Angel to stop mid-rotation, and Dante then jumped. She landed in front of the Angel, arms crossed before his chest. She sliced her arms through the air, her nails, a foot in length, hard as steel and sharp as blades, raking across his chest.

Raphael let out a cry of pain as he pulled at Yumi's whips, to no avail. Yumi now appeared before him, her blade, Hades, in hand. She spun, slicing across his stomach, and then plunged the blade deep into his side.

Raphael screamed, though he scream soon became laughter as his form melted away into dust. Yumi and Dante spun, his laughter now coming from behind them as he appeared again, completely unharmed save for the gash on his forehead.

"You two disappoint me. I thought I'd actually have to make an effort to kill you… but this is too easy!"

Dante chuckled. Yumi's grip on Hades tightened, and a smirk appeared on her face.

"Disappoint?" Yumi shook her head, "My apologies. I didn't realize we were supposed to be trying."

Raphael frowned, "You can not lie to me, my Queen. I can see it from here; you and your friend are tired… Give up now and I'll spare her life."

Dante chuckled, clicking her nails together. "Tired? You're a lot dumber than I thought, boy."

"It seems he's bored, Dante. Shall we entertain him?"

Yumi spun Hades in her hand, using her other to run two fingers down the blade's length. The sword reacted to her touch. It's blade, usually black in color, flared to life. It now looked as if the blade was made from fire. Black, crimson, gold, and orange swirled around in dull hues, like molten fire.

Dante's pupils became slits, and her sapphire color rapidly darkened to become a deep crimson. Her nails grew another 6 inches and became as black as pitch.

Raphael chuckled, "You really think changing your appearance and the look of your sword id going to change anything?" He shook his head, Ichti and Sphera glowing even brighter. He brought the two together, and in an instant they melded into each other, becoming one long blade.

He raised his now free hand, a bright, blazing ball of energy forming in his palm. "Come now ladies, lets see this supposed strength of yours."

Raphael broke into a sprint, crouching low to the ground to pick up speed. His wings, flattened against his back, now unfurled, catching the winds and lifting the angel from the ground.

He spun, the light from his blade and the energy ball in his hand mixing together as his speed increased. Soon enough he looked like an arrow, a bright blazing arrow headed straight for the girls.

Dante leapt to the left, while Yumi jumped straight up. Laughter broke out in the clearing, and Raphael's arrow split into two, one a bright white and the other a bright blue, one going after each of the girls.

Yumi spun Hades again, bringing it in front of her as the white arrow attacked her. When the energy hit Hades, the blade erupted into a dark flame, and the two energies mixed, rapidly heating the air around them.

Dante caught the blue arrow with her nails, sparks flying as the energy of the swords collided with the metal.

Yumi's gaze flicked to her partner, who in return gave a short nod. Yumi pushed against the white energy, and finally lung it to the side.

At the same time, Dante gripped the blue arrow and spun, flinging it into its white counterpart. The two arrows collided again, and the collision caused a massive explosion.

There were several snaps and cracks as more trees broke, and smoke filled the area, along with the smell of burning wood.

After a few moments the smoke cleared, revealing a large area of burnt grass, and blackened ground. Raphael pushed a pile of rubble off of him and sat up, shaking bits of ash from his hair. His gaze wandered up ahead, where a small black dome rested on the ground.

As he continued to watch the dome, it began to dissipate, and beneath it stood Yumi and Dante, unharmed. Dante smirked, clicking her nails again. It was a habit of hers, and it drove most people insane.

Yumi started towards Raphael, Hades firmly gripped at her side. Dante followed, keeping pace with the Shadow.

Raphael watched them advance, but was unable to make himself move. He didn't get it… Itchi and Sphera were made of pure angelic energy, something that Yumi, as a Shadow, shouldn't have been able to stand against, much less defeat it.

As the two got closer to him, he tried to get to his feet, but Dante pushed him back down using the tip of one of her nails.

"How?" Raphael began, his gaze locking onto Yumi. "My Queen, how?"

Yumi frowned, "How? You'll have to be clearer than that."

"My blades! You survived the Angelic energy without so much as a scratch!" Raphael shrieked, pushing himself backwards and jumping to his feet.

Dante smirked, "They must not have told him, then…"

Raphael just stared at the two girls.

"A pity," Yumi said simply, raising Hades to point directly at the angel, "It might have helped him, if he had known."

Rage flashed across Raphael's features, but instead of attacking he leapt into the air. He hovered there, his wings beating at the wind.

_Caleb retreat!_

He sent the mental cry out, and it was only seconds before he received a confused reply.

_I underestimated my Queen, something's wrong. Come! I need you to gather more information for me!_

A few more seconds passed before he received the reluctant agreement from the Rashak.

He refocused his attention to the girls below, and a smirk replaced the rage coloring his features.

"You've won this time, my Queen. However, don't let your guard down… I promise you I'll be back, and your pretty little head will be mine."

He didn't wait for a response, but turned and flew off, disappearing into the trees.

Yumi turned to Dante, and without a word both took off, heading back to the village.

~[Scene Skip]~

Lavi just stood there and stared. It wasn't even the fact that they were both naked… No, he had seen them change. The fur had just melted away, and now here they lay. They had gone from these huge wolves that, quite honestly, scared the shit out of him, to two normal looking human beings.

He saw Bookman move out of the corner of his eye, and turned in just enough time to grab the man's wrist before he could plunge a sharp piece of wood into Aya's chest.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Bookman simply stared at Lavi, "What do you think, brat? When those other wolves left, their magic weakened, but I was only able to summon a small amount of silver. It was enough to knock these two out, but it won't keep them down for long, and we must destroy them before they have a chance to destroy us!"

Lavi didn't let go of Bookman's wrist, despite the man's tugging.

"They tried to save us!"

"No, Lavi, they were protecting themselves! They care nothing about us; don't be fooled into thinking otherwise!"

Bookman finally managed to break free of Lavi grasp, and he again raised the wood piece above Aya's chest. He didn't hesitate before bringing it down, but before the wood could add to the young girl's wounds, the stake was ripped from his hands and he was sent flying backwards.

Lavi jumped, hesitating only a moment before running to help Bookman. Standing over Aya now was the girl from earlier, Yumi he believed her name was.

She pulled off her cloak and draped it over Aya's unconscious form. Lavi noticed that she, too, had several cuts on her body.

Bookman grunted, using Lavi to help pull himself to his feet. Yumi knelt beside Aya, but her gaze locked onto the two men. It was a look of pure hatred.

"What happened?"

Lavi spoke before he could think, "They were attacked, wolves, big wolves…"

He was cut off as a hiss came from a second girl who knelt over Damien. She, too, had draped a cloak over his naked form.

"No, you idiotic boy! Why are they unconscious?"

Bookman took a step forward, "Because they are dangerous creatures! You would be wise to step away from them… Your friends are not what they appear to be."

Dante made an annoyed sound, and bared her fangs at Bookman, "Tell me what you did, old man, or I swear I will drain the very life out of you!"

Yumi held up a hand, "Dante, don't waste your time with them! Its silver, that man was the one from earlier. He must have used silver."

Dante hissed again and took Damien into her arms like he weighed nothing. Yumi did the same with Aya, gingerly picking the girl up. Her cold gaze again rested on Bookman.

"You will pay for this, I promise you that. Don't be so ignorant and believe everything that you see or hear. Not even ancient records are always truthful…"

Yumi began to leave the inn, Dante close on her heels, but suddenly a white light darted in from outside and hovered above Aya.

"What the-"

Yumi was cut off as a man ran into the inn, breathing heavily. He was an older man, with wild, grey hair and large glasses. He also wore a black and gold coat, and Bookman and Lavi both reacted to his appearance.

"General Tiedoll!"

Bookman sounded surprised, but the general paid him no heed. He immediately went over to Yumi and Aya, though stopped when Yumi took a few steps back, her gaze a clear warning.

Tiedoll held up his hands, "I mean no harm, child." He took a few more steps forward, keeping his hands up in front of him.

"However, it seems that the innocence has chosen your friend here as its accommodator."

**And that it for this chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it! Sadly, my family is moving to Germany in two weeks, which means I might not have access to a working computer for a while. This also means that I might not be able to update for a while. However! I will move onto paper and pencil, so that way I can update as soon as I get a computer again! Thanks to all my fans, I love you guys! ~Reese**


	8. Journey to the Order

It was a rather awkward silence, or so Lavi thought. Bookman had gone ahead to let the Order know that they had injured on the way. It had been a condition of Yumi and Dante. They didn't trust the old panda at all, though it wasn't really hard to see why.

Aya and Damien were still out cold. They hadn't even stirred once, and that seemed to enrage the other two only more.

It amazed Lavi at how strong they were. They had been walking for almost half a day now, and the entire time Yumi had carried Aya, and Dante had carried Damien. Not once had they complained, or even had they shown signs of growing tired.

Dante was so tiny, too. Damien's feet almost dragged on the floor behind her, but neither Yumi nor Dante would let Lavi or Tiedoll come near them.

Bookman had said that he had only used enough silver to knock them out, and that it wouldn't last for very long. But the two werewolves were still out…

Lavi was brought out of his private ramblings as he heard Dante start to speak. It took him a minute to realize that she wasn't speaking in any language he knew or recognized.

Yumi replied in the same language, though when she spoke, it was smoother, more eloquent sounding.

The two kept conversing, and even Tiedoll had stopped his care-free humming to listen.

Dante's voice took on a worried tone, and Yumi's became more reassuring.

"Is everything... alright?"

Tiedoll had stopped walking, and now gave a questioning look to the two girls. Lavi stopped as well, and Yumi cast a knowing glance at Dante.

"Everything is fine." Dante replied, "I must, however, excuse myself for a time. I have some business to attend to."

"We don't have much further to go my dear," Tiedoll said, "I would suggest that we waited for your return, but your friends are injured, and we must get them back to the Order as soon as we can."

Dante gave a small nod, "I understand. I am afraid, however, that this can not wait."

Her gaze flicked to Yumi, who gave a slight nod. Her shadow began to rise from the ground, twisting and shaping itself into the form of a large, lizard like animal. Lavi couldn't tell what it was, for the creature was just a large shape, with no details, save for the eyes, which were two deep sockets that blazed a deep crimson color.

Dante approached the animal and gently laid Damien's unconscious form on it's back then turned and began walking off towards the right.

"Wait! You don't know how to get there!" Lavi cried after her.

Dante paused, looking back over her shoulder.

"I'll be fine, boy," was her only reply. The next instant, she was gone.

Lavi and Tiedoll stared after her until Yumi began walking again, the black creature keeping pace beside her.

"Come, gentlemen. Like you said, my friends need healing."

Tiedoll's gaze lingered on the space that Date had occupied only a few moments more, before he began walking again. He fell into step beside Yumi, and began questioning the girl on the creature she had conjured.

Lavi followed after them, his gaze wandering.

~[Scene Skip]~

Dante ran, easily dodging trees even at the speed she was going. Her hunger drove her on, and it also fed the flames of her anger.

It shouldn't be like this. These cravings… God, these unbearable cravings! The blood lust goes away after the first three years of vampirism, and then it only takes a sip of human blood here and there to sustain you.

But no… What had happened to cause this? Draining the lifeblood of a single human would last her two weeks at most if she did nothing to strain herself. The battle with the Angel had caused the blood lust to flare up.

It had been only a single day since her last feeding, and already the craving was at it's worst. She had to find a way to fix this… She couldn't live like this, she couldn't protect them…

Dante's thoughts were interrupted as the smell of humans invaded her senses. She could feel her fangs extending, and the warmth spreading through her, letting her know that the venom coursing though her veins was active and potent.

She tensed the muscles in her legs, and used the next branch to propel herself forwards. She quickly landed just outside the town's main entrance. She paused a second as she recognized the gate. This was the town they had just left….

Dante disregarded the warning of caution her mind was throwing at her. The hunger the blood lust was causing overruled her reason.

Her gaze searched the surrounding area until she found what she was looking for. A large oak, not far off, towered above the town wall. One of it's branches stretched out over the wall, and that's where she headed.

In one easy jump she was perched on the branch., silently making her way over the wall. Too many of the towns people had seen her leave with Yumi and the others, and the looks in their eyes had been pure suspicion. If they saw her now, she wasn't entirely sure what they'd do.

But of course, they wouldn't see her. Dante was a vampire, and an old one at that. She was a creature of the night, powerful, immortal, unstoppable.

She dropped from the branch, silently landing on the ground below, and slipped into the shadows.

Now to find her prey. Dante could smell them all, from the mayor to the street rats in the alleys, and the lot of them were easy kills for her. Too easy, in fact… She sometimes longed for the challenge of hunting down prey that could kill her if she wasn't careful.

But now was not the time for lost dreams. She had caught the scent of a human… A young female, alone, and drunk. Very drunk, by the smell of it. And yet, something about that made this girl more enticing to Dante.

Her blood ran hot as the venom thickened, a sweet taste filling her mouth. She slipped into an alleyway, the scent becoming more potent, luring her on.

She reached the end of the alley, her gaze shifting around, and then she jumped, nimbly landing on the roof of the building beside her. She silently eased her way to the other side, and there, below her, was the young girl.

She was tall, curvy, and all around rather attractive. But it was her blood that lured Dante down into the alley. Somehow the alcohol was adding to the blood's allure, like exotic spices that you add to food.

Dante dropped silently down behind the girl, who probably wouldn't have noticed an elephant charging through the town. The girl was swaying to and fro, falling into walls and almost tripping over her own feet several times.

An almost empty bottle of some intoxicating liquid was clutched in her right hand, and as Dante neared her, she took another long swig.

Dante was right behind the girl now, and slowly she reached for the girl's neck. Her hands caressed the warm, pulsing flesh, and the girl froze.

Dante leaned in close, inhaling the girl's scent, and in a swift motion, she sank her fangs into the girl's neck.

Immediately she felt the venom spread through the girl's bloodstream. A vampire's venom prevented the blood from clotting, therefore making it easier to drink the blood.

Dante latched onto the girl's neck as the warm blood hit the back of her throat. A small moan escaped her as the girl began to struggle, but nothing, nothing could break Dante's hold on her now.

The girl let out a scream, and Dante could have laughed with pure joy. God it felt good to just let go, to enjoy the struggle, to enjoy the hunt.

Dante could feel the girl's life-force draining away, and it only excited her more. She was in control, and nothing could stop her.

So of course, when she felt something wet running down her face, Dante was rather confused. She broke her hold of the girl and reached a hand up to her head. When she looked at it, it was covered in blood.

Looking around her she noticed that there were broken bits of glass on the floor. Damn, the bitch had broken the bottle over her head… Dante hadn't even noticed it.

She turned her disdainful gaze to the girl, who had slumped to the floor, and delivered a swift kick to the girls head. She heard a satisfying crunch, and a small smirk spread across her features.

Her hunger had died enough to let her think clearly again, and that's when she heard the footsteps, and the voices.

Looking around she realized that she had no place to hide the body, and without Yumi around, she couldn't just let it sink into Oblivion.

Shit! Dante had been too careless! She had let her hunger get the better of her, and now the damn girl's scream had alerted the people.

Dante dashed forwards, and was utterly confused when she crashed into the ground. She pushed herself onto hands and knees, and shook her head. The world was spinning, and she couldn't seem to find her balance.

She tried to stand, and swayed dangerously on her feet. Another look to the girl on the floor, and she realized what had happened.

"I'm drunk…" she said to the air.

The thought alone made her laugh. She was drunk! The alcohol in the girl's blood had intoxicated her!

Her laughter died immediately as the voices got closer. She lazily turned in circles, looking for a way out. Her first instinct was to jump, and so she did.

Her feet hit the roof of the building, and she fell backwards. She landed hard on her neck and heard a sickening crack, before she flipped and continued to roll backwards.

She dug her nails into the roof tile and halted her progress, her legs dangling over the edge. She didn't feel right, and Dante suspected that that crack she heard earlier was responsible.

She slowly dragged herself back onto the roof, her nails digging into the tile, and blood running down her fingers. Eventually she managed to pull herself back onto the roof, and she slowly stood again.

After she had caught her balance, Dante slowly made her way across the roof. The world still spun around her, and she wobbled dangerously with every step.

Never had she been reduced to such a state, such a pathetic, vulnerable state, and it was her own damn fault!

She slowly made her way over the the edge of the roof, and realized that there was no way in hell she was going to make another jump. The ground was too dangerous, as well. She could hear the humans below her in the alley. They were searching for her, and she had no way to outrun them, not in her current state.

Her gaze searched the roof, and she spotted a chimney at the edge of the building. She started towards it and fell forwards, her vision blurring. Again she cursed herself, and stood again.

She refused to crawl, and that pride, that stubborn pride, made the journey to the chimney a long one.

When Dante finally fell to the floor at the base of the chimney, she was panting. She didn't like what this alcohol did to her, not at all. She stayed there, lying on the roof, her stomach in knots.

Something was wrong, she could feel it. Her stomach heaved and she pushed herself to hands and knees again. Her body convulsed and she vomited blood, a large quantity of blood.

No, this was black… it tasted like blood, but it was black as pitch. She began to feel dizzy, and she fell over.

"_Yumi" _She sent the thought out weakly.

_"Dammit Yumi, something's wrong…" _

She heard voices close by, and lifted her head. The world spun again, and she let her head fall down, but not before she spotted a door. Damn, a door… she hadn't noticed the door…

_"Yumi, the humans are coming. I need help… Hurry…"_

She felt as if he would puke again, and a sharp pain ripped through her body.

She heard the door open, and heard a voice cry out. "I found it! I've found it! Up on the roof!"

Dante cursed again, but couldn't move. What the hell?

The human had alerted the others, and there was nothing she could do. Dammit! She wouldn't go out without a fight.

Dante gritted her teeth against the pain and pulled herself to her feet, her nails extending. She saw the door burst open, and the humans poured out, weapons in hand.

They crowded around her, keeping their distance, but surrounding her. Dante crouched low, and that movement alone sent the world spinning again, and again she doubled over and vomited the black blood.

It was then that she realized that had happened. It was the alcohol. The damned stuff had mixed with her venom, and was 'causing this… this reaction. Damnit! She should have seen this coming…

She fought against the dizziness and glared at the humans, who were inching closer and closer. The world slowly began to go dark, and she cried out in frustration. She couldn't go out like this… She couldn't leave the others, not with Aya and Damien hurt.

She lunged out, slashing with her nails, and she felt them rip through flesh. Yes! She had got someone, probably killed them, too.

"Dammit Dante!"

Dante started, she knew that voice. She tried to look around to find the other demon, but she was abruptly lifted off the roof and thrown to the floor a good 10 feet away.

She felt a hand press into her chest, and she cried out as a wave of stabbing pain shot through her. Her vision instantly cleared and the nausea vanished. She swung at her attacker, but connected with air.

Dante sat up swiftly, and her gaze locked onto the sight behind her. Blood covered the roof, and screams filled the air.

Humans were running now, and as they fled, Dante found her. Yumi spun, Hades slicing through the man nearest her cleanly, leaving him in two halves. She then grabbed another by the head and flung him into the air.

As the man fell, thin black spikes rose from the roof, and the man was impaled as he fell, his body joining those of several others.

Yumi fought on, and as she spun, Hades slicing through skin and bone effortlessly, Dante notices five long gashes on Yumi's back.

Dante's gaze fell to her nails, which were covered in blood, and frowned. She had hit Yumi, not a human...

Before Dante could react further Yumi had vanished, reappearing in a black haze beside her. She grabbed Dante's arm and helped the vampire up, making sure she was stable before letting go.

"You ready?" Yumi asked, and Dante nodded.

She braced herself as Yumi again grabbed her arm, and instantly she was assaulted by darkness. She couldn't see a thing, and the air around her was so cold that it hurt to breath it in.

An instant later the light reappeared, and Dante and Yumi were standing in a clearing, Tiedoll and Lavi staring at them from a few yards off.

"Everything ok? You left in quite a hurry, dear." Tiedoll started towards them, but stopped as the two girls began forwards as well.

"Everything's fine" Yumi replied with a shrug, casting a quick glance at Dante, who nodded.

"My apologies, I seem to have gotten turned around." Dante gave a small bow before advancing towards Aya and Damien, their unconscious forms lying on the backs of the black lizard creatures.

A second one had appeared to carry Aya, and both were now curled up beside each other, their glowing eyes looking steadily at the others.

"Have they stirred?" Dante asked, reaching out to touch Aya's cheek.

Tiedoll shook his head, "Unfortunately not, but I do have some good news. We've re-"

He was cut off as an object entered the clearing. It was tall, flat, and made up of several different polygons. The entire thing was black, and glowed with a purple aura. On one of the centre pieces was a number in red, 57.

Lavi grinned and ran towards the object, and a doorway appeared at the bottom.

A boy walked out of the doorway. He was short, with chin-length white hair, and a red marking over his left eye.

Lavi ran up to him and threw his arm around the boy's shoulder.

"Allen! 'Bout time you showed up!"

Allen laughed and playfully shoved Lavi away.

Yumi joined Dante by the creatures, and Tiedoll gathered his things.

"That, my dears, is the Ark. It will transport us back to the Order."

He then began walking towards the Ark. Yumi motioned to the creatures and they stood, careful not to jostle the two werewolves on their backs.

Yumi looked to Dante, and the vampire shook her head.

"I'll explain later, not now. We need to get them to a healer."

Yumi gave a slight nod to this and started towards the Ark, Dante and the two creatures following her.

* * *

**Hey Guys~ I'm finally all settled back in, and ready to write some more. I apologize for the long period of nothing, but that is in the past now. To start things off again, I decided to focus a little on Dante, and I hope you liked it. As always, comments are welcome, and constructive criticism is more than welcome~ I'll be back with more!  
**** ~Reese **


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